Michigan Panthers kicker’s 64-yard FG goes viral
>> The Michigan Panthers are basking in the buzz of their inaugural game in the new United Football League. Jake Bates’ 64-yard field goal to win the opener went viral, and should create some interest moving forward.
Now, Michigan wants to get its offense going. It was an offense that was touted as explosive entering the season, and it was an offense that was sluggish out of the gate in last Saturday’s 18-16 win over St. Louis at Ford Field.
The Panthers were shut out in the first half.
“The offense started slow, but they came alive in the second half,” head coach Mike Nolan said. “The turnovers were an issue, obviously. We gave them the ball twice. It’s not often that you’re minus-2 in the turnover category and you still win the game.
“We’re just happy we came out on the winning side of it. … We played well enough to win, and we did win.”
The Panthers play their second game of the season at noon Sunday against the Birmingham Stallions at Ford Field. Birmingham beat Arlington, 27-14, in its opener and was a two-time champion of the United States Football League, which merged over the offseason with the XFL to create the new UFL.
Attendance appeared lighter at the Panthers’ opener than it did in last year’s opener, though the crowd was announced at more than 9,000, and it drew the best TV audience of the UFL’s weekend, with more than 1 million.
The Panthers and the UFL are hoping for a bump this week, especially after Bates’ kick, and his back story, was all over the internet last Saturday, and the several days since.
Quarterback EJ Perry (Brown) is expected to get
the start again for Michigan. He thrived late last season for the Panthers, in the playoffs, but struggled out of the gate in Week 1 this year, with the two interceptions.
“I honestly believe it was first-game jitters. That’s a real thing,” said receiver Devin Ross, out of Colorado. “Adrenaline rushing and a lot of things going on at once. Once we eliminated those and everyone calmed down and, you know, got just the understanding that it’s football, we’ve been practicing for this the whole time, you obviously see the results and how it got better as the game went on.
“For the rest of the season, we should be perfectly fine. With everybody we got and all the weapons and everything, our game plans and everything, I feel like we should be perfectly fine.”
Perry finished the opening game 12 for 24 for 176 yards, with no touchdowns.
As a team, the Panthers had 280 yards of offense, which still was second-most in the league in Week 1, behind Birmingham’s 397 yards. The Stallions are led by two quarterbacks, Matt Corral (third-round pick in 2022 NFL Draft) and former Nebraska signal caller Adrian Martinez, running back C.J. Marable and receiver Deon Cain.
Michigan was led in last week’s opener by running back Wes Hills, the former Lion who had 85 rushing yards.
Perry scored two touchdowns with his legs, perhaps his best attribute.
“When he runs with the ball, some of that is planned runs and some of that is just him improvising, but he does that well,” Nolan said. “He executives plays well, but when they break down, he’s got the ability to make something out of nothing, and that’s what good quarterbacks do.”
Said Ross, on Perry: “He’s good at seeing the whole field, seeing everyone. I’m glad we’ve got a good quarterback.”
Perry won the starting quarterback battle in camp, with Danny Etling (Purdue, LSU) his backup, and Brian Lewerke (Michigan State) the No. 3 emergency option.
He’s got plenty of weapons to work with, thanks to the merger of the two leagues, which cut down 16 teams to eight, making for a much deeper talent pool.
An electric offense, of course, would help the Panthers draw some more fans, and keep the attention of those who are curiously checking in following Bates’ game-winning kick — the first field goal he’s ever made in a game, after being a kickoff specialist late in college, and a soccer player before that. Single-game tickets start at $22, and the Panthers have four more games at Ford Field, including this Sunday and next Sunday.
The timing of the kick couldn’t have been better for the Panthers and their new league, amid a very crowded sports landscape in Detroit, with the NCAA Tournament in town last weekend, the Tigers starting the season, and the NFL Draft arriving later this month.
“The buzz, I think, it’s just very positive,” Nolan said. “That’s a really good thing for everybody.”
Especially for the players, in case you were wondering whether they actually notice the fans.
“It’s extremely important. They probably don’t even understand how important it is,” said Ross, who is coming back from a broken finger suffered last season, and had two catches for 46 yards in the opening win. “They bring the energy. You can just feel it on the field.
“It’s just always a great feeling to have fans. I know we’re going to have even more this weekend.”